It’s January 2012, I’m 52 and I’m obese. I know, we usually don’t use the O word, at least not in reference to ourselves. We say we have a big frame (hey, I do). We say we have more muscle than most (hey, I used to). I was a bit of a jock growing up, and I kept up with it in a desultory manner into adult hood – the occasional bouts of weightlifting, flurries of running or bike riding – and I’d say hey, I’m a big guy, but I’m in OK shape. At some point though, one has to face facts. Six feet tall, 242 pounds? Unless I’m playing linebacker somewhere, with a 52″ chest and a 36″ waist and I’m running the 40 in under 4.5, there’s no good reason to be that size.
And it’s a recipe for an early and unpleasant death. My family history isn’t on my side. Heart disease, type II diabetes, high blood pressure – the sundry evil fruits of a Paula Dean lifestyle adorn my family tree like poisonous apples. So far, I’ve been pretty lucky. So far, when I go in to the doc, he clucks his tongue and tells me I really need to lose weight. But then he runs his tests and the BP comes out OK, the blood sugar comes out OK, the cholesterol, maybe it’s toying with the high side, but pretty much OK. But that’s not the kind of luck I ought to push.
The thing is, I’m a writer. During the day, I write for a living, mostly about the tax code and other matters of financial import that my masters in the accounting industry think their market will find of interest. And yes, that will drive you mad, so, at night, I write about killing people. If you’re interested in more about my writing life, check out my other blog, GOING BALLISTIC. But that means I’ve coupled a sedentary hobby with a sedentary profession.
And a man does have to know his limitations. I’m not going to get up at 5:00 am and go to the gym – tried that once, lasted a week. I’m not going to live on 1,500 calories a day. I’m not going to go vegan. So I had to decide what I was going to do, and what I did was this. I built me a treadmill desk to see if turning my sedentary activities into daily motion can’t edit my ass back down to a manageable size.
This will be my daily account of that adventure. Your welcome to tag along. If I learn anything useful, I’ll share it. Maybe a healthy-ish recipe here and there.
Wish me luck.
